Animal baits are limited to cereal pellet, carrot, and paste. None of these are durable and those that are available to farmers are either expensive or relatively ineffective
Known pest control compositions which use vertebrate pesticides are vulnerable due to the high annual cost and also due to the increasing scrutiny being placed on pesticide usage worldwide. Market access for agriculture produce could be threatened if food production methods fail to meet the increasingly stringent standards demanded by consumers. Careful management is required to provide confidence and safety of the pesticide. This must be based on toxicological data relating to public health and environmental effects and strategies for minimising risks.
One possible environmental effect is the risk of poisoning of non target species. Examples of accidental poisoning have been demonstrated for native birds, native bats, invertebrates including honeybees, deer, livestock and domestic pets. Deaths are always undesirable even for common species and unacceptable for rarer species, populations of which may be unable to withstand such losses.
There is a requirement for a bait product which is weatherproof and therefore durable when placed out in the open weather. A bait product which could be handled easily and which does not disintegrate in the user's hands would also be an advantage.